Maria Cristina Esperanza, MD

Dr. Jasmeet Mokha practices Pediatric Gastroenterology at Ochsner Health.

I am a pediatric hematologist/oncologist who specializes in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. I graduated from the Upstate Medical University, completed a residency in pediatrics at the Schneider Children's Hospital, served as Chief Resident of Pediatrics at the Schneider Children's Hospital, and then completed my training with a fellowship in pediatric hematology / oncology at the Children s Hospital of Philadelphia. During my fellowship, I concurrently spent 3 years in the laboratory researching cellular immunotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, while also pursuing a clinical interest in the late effects of childhood cancer treatment. In 2008 I came to the Cohen Children s Medical Center to found Survivors Facing Forward, a long-term follow-up program to provide care to survivors of childhood cancer and stem cell transplantation. Since 2008, the program has grown to follow nearly 1,000 survivors of childhood cancer and has been a fertile source for clinical research. In 2021 I assumed leadership of the stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy program at Cohen Children's Medical Center, where I am the Transplant Center Medial Director and Marrow Collection Facility Director. Our transplant center participates in national and international cooperative group studies in the use of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy to treat cancers, bone marrow failure syndromes, immune deficiencies and hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell disease and thalassemia). Notably, we are one of a very limited number of Qualified Treatment Centers (QTC) for Zynteglo , an FDA approved gene therapy for transfusion dependent thalassemia, and are in the process of being named a QTC for gene therapy products recently FDA approved to cure sickle cell disease.